Someone (Yoshie, perhaps?) asked about Rorty's new book. I think the most impressive thing about it is, given Rorty's place in the academy as a professional philosopher (albeit one dismissed by other philosophers as being insufficiently philosophical) the publicity the book recieved when it was first released. The week I bought it, the book was reviewed in Dissent, The Nation, and In These Times. I appreciate his attempts to become a public intellectual. I'm not sure how successful he's been at becoming "public," but he's certainly a better voice for progressive thought than others who try to play the same role, such as the loathesome Michael Lerner.
That said, I'm not so sure about Rorty's book. He's got a good discussion of the problems of the academic cultural left, but I'm not sure he added anything to Gitlin's book on the same (although it's been a while since I read Gitlin.) His history of the radical and reformist left in the US is going to make people see red (heehee!); I think his strong anti-Marxist stance gets in the way of his historical account. The bit on Dewey and Whitman is delightful. For what it's worth, he's a great writer and it's a really enjoyable read.
Yours, Frances Bolton